Room 602, the bedroom. Fan Qiyu slowly opened her eyes as she lay flat on the soft, bouncy bed.

She subconsciously reached out but didn't touch the familiar lover beside her, and a sudden pang of fear struck her.

MEOW.

Fan Qiyu blinked, seeing Black Bell jump onto the bed beside her pillow and affectionately rub against her. She relaxed and sat up, laughing as she petted Black Bell, who curled up on her lap, warm and well-behaved.

She remembered that Yi Zhao was probably at the combat training ground tonight, honing his spells.

To take care of her, Yi Zhao had naturally quit his job at the Tactical Bureau. The workload there was immense. Aside from a few like Qiao Muyi who could handle it easily, most captain-level cultivators were much like Yu Kuangtu: they barely had time for socializing and had to rush straight to cultivation after work. Taking care of themselves was tough enough, let alone someone else.

The Tactical Bureau wouldn't allow a captain to take leave all day without working, so Yi Zhao planned to apply for a teaching position at the Heavenly Lotus Academy to work while taking care of her.

Fortunately, the Tactical Bureau and Heavenly Lotus Academy had a good relationship, so Yi Zhao's application was fast-tracked. Given his excellent résumé and status as a captain-level cultivator, he faced hardly any political vetting or competency issues. Still, teaching was different from being a Tactical Cultivator, so he had to learn one or two necessary spells, which was why Yi Zhao went to train at night.

After all, she now only suffered occasional episodes of sudden, debilitating weakness. Aside from being quite lethargic, she could generally take care of herself.

However, when she woke up and found the room pitch-black and silent, her lover not by her side, she couldn't help but feel scared.

She was, after all, just a young woman in her twenties.

More than being entangled in terrifying, overwhelming misfortune, she feared the faint, flickering hope dying out.

Fan Qiyu scratched Black Bell's chin, making Black Bell narrow its eyes in pleasure. She took a tuna-flavored liquid cat treat from the nightstand, tore it open, and Black Bell slowly stretched its head forward to lick the golden fish paste that flowed out.

"Luna, you used to like this flavor, didn't you? Have you changed your tastes?"

After Black Bell finished eating, Fan Qiyu picked it up, buried her face in its fur, and smiled happily. "Luna, you're the best, always here with me."

MEOW.

"Every time I come home and see Luna waiting for me downstairs, I'm truly the happiest poop scooper. HEHE."

Fan Qiyu turned her head, gazing out at the moon, her eyes gradually growing misty as she yawned and lay back down.

Black Bell was right beside her pillow. She caressed it gently while softly whispering, "It's so nice having Luna with me, protecting me, thinking of me."

Suddenly, an inexplicable fear washed over her, causing Fan Qiyu's body to tremble. She clutched the blanket tightly, hugging Black Bell close and whispering softly, "Hurry back..."

***

"Class Rep, are you sleepy?"

It was Gu Yueyan's turn. Seeing that Gu Yueyan hadn't moved, Lin Xianyu sneakily poked her on the chest, nudging her.

As expected, Gu Yueyan ignored Lin Xianyu's teasing and suddenly snapped back to reality, staring blankly at the table. "It's my turn?"

"Yes, it's your turn to draw a card," Lin Xianyu said. "Class Rep, you're sleepy, right? Let's go back to the dorms after this game."

"No!"

Everyone was slightly taken aback, all eyes turning to Gu Yueyan. Realizing her reaction had been too strong, Gu Yueyan slowly composed herself. She pursed her lips, and after hesitating for a moment, said, "Today... I want to stay here."

Lin Xianyu blinked. Class Rep, you're brave!

Ren Xingmei wasn't as shocked, an 'as expected' look on her face.

Dong Chengling looked at Gu Yueyan curiously, Qiao Muyi's eyes narrowing slightly as she glanced between Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan.

Gu Yueyan blushed, took off her down jacket, and said, "It's much warmer here than the dorm. I don't want to go back; I want to stay here tonight..."

"Speaking of which, it's really warm in here," Lin Xianyu also took off her jacket and bounced over to the balcony, testing the cold air for a few seconds before quickly retreating. Surprised, she said, "Big Brother Ren, did you install floor heating?"

"No," Ren Suo shook his head, casually making an excuse. "This is... I was testing an awakened spell and found one of its effects is radiating heat..."

"WHEE!" Little Jiu immediately rushed over and hugged Ren Suo, nuzzling against him and saying joyfully in a soft, sweet voice, "Big Brother is so warm! Hugging Big Brother is super comfy!"

The others, Lin Xianyu included, suddenly fixed their gazes on Little Jiu and Ren Suo, a spark of longing in their eyes. Ren Suo noticed their expressions, reminiscent of someone wanting to pet a cat, and shivered. He quickly changed the subject, "But my place only has one guest room, and my sister will be sleeping there. There's no room for you, Yueyan..."

If Gu Yueyan really stayed because she was drawn to his warmth, Ren Suo felt he would definitely become a human-shaped space heater. These girls would probably come over to cultivate, study, or watch movies whenever they had free time—Lin Xianyu most certainly would.

Don't be fooled by how nicely Ren Suo had spoken just now, saying things like 'I want to treat you all well.' In reality, his tolerance for social interaction was very low. It was like, I really want to talk to someone, but I don't want to initiate the conversation, and I definitely don't want to keep talking to them for long. He was practically a poster child for self-sabotaging loneliness.

Gathering like this every day was already pushing his limits. Spending an entire day with people tomorrow was something he did maybe two or three times a year, at most. Each time, Ren Suo felt like he needed a month or two of being a complete 'salted fish' to recover.

"Bro," Ren Xingmei smiled, "we're planning to play games all night, did you forget? The bedrooms will be empty tonight."

Ren Suo blinked at his sister. Wait a minute, usually, she doesn't need me to remind her at times like this; she'd actively jump in to turn down requests for people to stay over!

Ren Xingmei completely ignored her brother's look and, with an air of staunch righteousness, sided with Gu Yueyan. "Tonight, both the guest room and the master bedroom are empty. Yueyan, if you want to stay over, just stay. I promise to keep an eye on my brother and stop him from sneaking into your room at night."

Ren Xingmei had finally figured it out. Since I can't knock out and brainwash my brother, make him sever his romantic ties for good, nor can I get him to distance himself from me on his own, then as a sister who still harbors some... unclear, indescribable feelings, my correct course of action should be to introduce new variables! If my brother only had one True Destined Maiden, how would that be different from a simple equation with two variables? The solution would be found swiftly, leaving me no chance to salvage anything. Maybe by the time I graduate, my niece will be old enough to join me in ganging up on him! Now, with Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling already complicating the equation, introducing Gu Yueyan as another variable will inevitably make it take even longer to solve. And who knows? Ren Suo's love equation might become completely unsolvable! That day outside the combat training ground, when I saw Ren Suo—that shameless tomcat who ought to be neutered—successfully flirting and stirring Gu Yueyan's affections, I started pondering this. I finally concluded that introducing the Gu Yueyan variable is entirely beneficial for me, with no downsides! And I can even righteously claim it's for Ren Suo's own good! Maybe Gu Yueyan is the very she-cat who can finally get him going! Of course, it could also result in three angry she-cats tearing that scoundrel tomcat to shreds. That's why I'll work hard on my cultivation, so I can protect Ren Suo in the future!

Ren Suo had a feeling his sister harbored a faint malice towards him tonight. Scratching his head helplessly, he said, "If you really insist on staying..."

"Then I'll stay too." Qiao Muyi took off her light jacket and stretched slowly, the buttons on her blouse straining. "I didn't expect you to double as a human thermostat, Xiao Suo."

She put her hands on her hips, did a few stretches that showcased her graceful figure, and smiled. "I've been busy all day, and it's so late. I really don't want to drive back. Besides, I've already arranged to go out with Xiao Suo tomorrow morning. I might as well stay here overnight."

Lin Xianyu blinked and asked, "Sister Qiao, can we join you for the outing too?"

"Don't you have classes tomorrow?" Qiao Muyi asked, her smile full of hidden meaning.

"We don't!"

"Then you should focus on studying and cultivating. Don't casually leave school on weekdays." Qiao Muyi rested her chin on her hand, her eyes narrowing like a cunning fox, her tone calm as she offered this 'advice.' But Lin Xianyu instantly froze, hairs standing on end. A chill shot up her spine, and a terrifying wave of malice washed over her.

However, the chill vanished as quickly as it came. Lin Xianyu snapped back to reality and saw everyone else still chatting happily. She immediately realized she was the only one Qiao Muyi had intimidated.

Lin Xianyu covertly shot a look at the Class Rep. Don't mess up tomorrow! Definitely don't hold Qiao Muyi back! Otherwise, she'll be furious! And not just furious—furious enough to crush us! If acquaintances ruined a date, Teacher Dong might just be upset for a bit. But Qiao Muyi? She'd definitely seek revenge!

However, Gu Yueyan paid no attention to Lin Xianyu's look and just stared blankly at Ren Suo, speechless.

Lin Xianyu poked Gu Yueyan on the chest again. Seeing the Class Rep still had no reaction, she said, "Then I'll stay over too. It's been a long time since I've slept in such a warm room."

Ren Suo's mouth twitched. Feeling that his fate as a human space heater was inevitable, he resignedly conceded, "But I only have two beds."

"I'll share a room with the Class Rep, and Sister Qiao can have one to herself," Lin Xianyu quickly said. I have to convince the Class Rep tonight and stop her from doing anything rash tomorrow morning. Dragging someone down depends on the situation. If you scare away someone's fish while they're fishing, they might not get that angry. But Qiao Muyi? She has all the seasonings, side dishes, utensils, knives, and even the oil pan ready. She's just waiting for Ren Suo to hop onto the chopping board tomorrow so she can prepare him as a gourmet meal and savor every bite. Putting myself in her shoes, I know that whoever dares to interrupt Qiao Muyi's meal will definitely end up as her appetizer!

"Yes, that works. I've slept in Cheng Ling's bed before; now it's time I tried Xiao Suo's bed," Qiao Muyi chuckled.

Ren Suo glanced at her. Are you some kind of collector?

Dong Chengling glanced at her. When you slept in my bed, I, the owner of said bed, was sleeping right next to you... What are you implying?